Iloilo chooses to stay in  ECQ, nixes appeal

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. on Thursday said he will not appeal the national government’s pronouncement retaining the province under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) until August 7, 2021.

Presidential spokesperson Herminio “Harry” Roque Jr. announced Wednesday night that the province, along with Iloilo City, Cagayan De Oro City, and Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental would remain under the “most restrictive” ECQ.

Roque attributed the retention to the areas’ rising 2-Week Growth Rate (2WGR), Average Daily Attack Rate (ADAR), and Health Care Utilization Rate (HCUR).

The 2WGR refers to the percentage trend in new COVID-19 cases, while the ADAR refers to the number of new cases per day per 100,000 population, both measured over 14 days.

The HCUR refers to the daily percentage rate of utilizing COVID-dedicated facility beds and mechanical ventilators.

But aside from the 540 new cases in Region 6 as reported by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III as of July 28, Roque did not disclose the 2WGR, ADAR, and HCUR figures.

During a press conference Thursday, Defensor said he will no longer appeal the ECQ pronouncement due to the “flat curve” or plateauing of new cases per day, which he wants to see go down.

He reiterated his statement on Wednesday that he saw no difference between the ECQ and the “less restrictive” MECQ.

“We will no longer appeal because of the same reasons why we went into ECQ. As I’ve explained before, our [trend of] COVID-19 cases have not gone up, but are on a flat curve. The problem with that is that it doesn’t go down, and will depend on where you are on the graph, wherein we are at the top part. That is why we are under ECQ,” the governor said.

To relieve the dilemma of cases from province being admitted in hospitals in Iloilo City, Defensor said the province continues to develop the Iloilo Provincial Hospital into a Level 2 hospital using funds from the Universal Healthcare Act (R.A. No. 11223) and the COVID-19 relief laws or the ‘Bayanihan’ Acts (R.A. Nos. 11469 and 11494).

The upgrade includes the development of new facilities and hiring additional personnel, among others.

In the meantime, the province is also providing assistance to the Western Visayas Medical Center “in whatever capacity [the province] can”, as well as collaborating with the Department of Health and other relevant agencies.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas previously cited cases from Iloilo province as well as the other provinces in Panay Island as the reason why the city’s HCUR remained at high levels.

“We continue to develop our hospitals based on the funds coming from the Universal Health Care Law, and sourced from the Bayanihan [Acts]. Before, there were budget constraints for our hospitals because they are economic enterprises. As we continue to develop, we can have the equipment when there are infrastructure and equipment savings, and sources from the laws,” he said.

As to the financial assistance from the national government for persons affected in areas under ECQ, Defensor reiterated that the local governments and barangay officials are swiftly working to identify the recipients.

According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Region 6 (DSWD-6), P2.6 billion of a total P4 billion have been earmarked for the city and province of Iloilo as cash assistance.

Persons affected will individually receive P1,000, with families receiving up to P4,000.